Chapter 351: with translation of chapter title

The next day, an unprecedented spectacle appeared at the gate of Shang Jing.

I don't know what madness possessed Prince Rui, but he tied the gyrfalcon from the Bei Di Yi Guan to the city gate, locked it in a cage, and even plucked all the feathers from its head.

The gyrfalcon that Tuo Ba Yu had raised to be beautiful had become a bald-headed eagle.

Its cry was especially mournful each day, enough to evoke sympathy from passersby in Shang Jing; no one understood how a bird could have offended Prince Rui.

These days, Prince Rui, bereaved of his wife, has become utterly unreasonable, like a madman.

Now even dogs passing by the Rui Wang Fu are frightened, tucking their tails and fleeing as far as they can; the killing aura surrounding Prince Rui almost blankets half of Jing Cheng.

Soon the killing aura reached the frontier pass; Zhao Lang had just received a letter from his family when he flew into a rage, slamming the table before him with a palm so hard half of it caved in.

He turned and strode out of the tent, intending to fight Xiao Yin to the death.

He had barely lived past twenty, finally taken a wife, only to have her kidnapped by Xiao Yin shortly after she became pregnant.

He could not tolerate this; attacking Zhao Lang himself was one thing, but to harm his mother or his wife was to attack Zhao Lang's very life.

"Xiao Yin, you bastard! I'll fight you to the death!"

Zhao Lang mounted his horse, summoned a few dozen personal guards, and set off for Shang Jing, only to be stopped by the strategist beside him earnestly pleading.

"General! General, quell your anger!"

"Now, while we are stationed here in Xirong, during the spring when supplies are scarce, the Xirong cavalry rides south to harass the border folk."

"If you now abandon your post and rush back to Jing Cheng, delaying the military opportunity, the emperor could have you beheaded."

Zhao Lang stiffened his neck and said, "Beheading? Bring it on—I'm not afraid of him."

"My wife and children, my mother—all locked up by that bastard Xiao Yin—how could I swallow this anger?"

"General!" the strategist firmly blocked Zhao Lang, saying, "General, consider this: the young lady's father is General An."

"Back then, Xiao Yin and he were as close as brothers; even if Xiao Yin harmed all these people, he could not possibly harm the bloodline left by General An."

"First calm yourself; perhaps Prince Rui's actions conceal some hidden difficulty."

"Let's inquire more tomorrow, then decide whether to stay or go; besides, why would Xiao Yin abduct the young lady for no reason?"

"Xiao Yin dotes on his adopted sister; there's no reason for him to bind and bully her—something must be amiss."

"I heard the Princess Consort of Rui was burned to death in Chongwen Tower; even now, not a fragment of her remains can be found."

"I suspect there is some unspeakable secret behind this; Prince Rui's conduct must have its reasons."

"If you hurry back rashly, any trouble that arises on the frontier will be no small matter."

Zhao Lang collected himself and muttered inwardly, "Has Xiao Yin gone mad? How dare he set his sights on Jinzhi?"

Having become a youthful general on the frontier through sheer vigor, Zhao Lang was no hotheaded novice; hearing the strategist's words, he immediately reined himself in.

As expected, by evening the Zhao family sent another letter—this time a personal note from Jinzhi.

Besides, it added a few nagging lines from his mother and his father's rambling remarks, saying the previous letter had arrived rather hastily, and instructing the son to follow the directions given in this letter.

Zhao Lang focused on Jinzhi's graceful handwriting, and his heart eased somewhat.

Only then did he understand: Xiao Yin had seized Jinzhi and confined her to a separate villa, all to lure Gu Jiu Ling out.

Gu Jiu Ling had not really died; in her letter, Jinzhi earnestly begged Zhao's lady to help preserve this life.

Zhao Lang's hands remained clenched in fists; after slowly loosening them, he burst out cursing: "Hmph, Prince Rui is becoming less than human—saying whatever the two of them are playing, yet still worrying about others; wait till I get back..."

Sooner or later he'll have to keep cursing; Beijing is just a drag, the prison a city.

Outsiders couldn't help but smirk; looking across the whole of Southern Hope, who would dare to oppose the Southern War God with such foul-mouthed bluster? Probably only the Zhao family.

Spring Prefecture Southern Qi's largest seaport, standing beside the rippling blue sea, presents a magnificent sight of thousands of sails passing by.

At this moment a three-layered merchant ship slowly departs from the harbor of Spring Prefecture, riding the ocean currents toward those islands in the East Sea Area.

The lowest level holds cargo, the second level is a area where sailors reside, and the third level of that residential area is the owner's quarters.

At this moment, from the most comfortable cabin comes the loud wail of an infant.

The person on the bed is already accustomed to the baby's crying.

The sailors also know that the ship's owner is a female merchant from the Central Plains who has practically bought the vessel, and the cabins are filled with various goods.

Everyone feels this woman is not ordinary; she doesn't forget to bear children even while doing business, which is no easy feat for her.

In the middle of the third level, outside are black-clad guards keeping tight watch.

Usually the cook prepares meals alone in the small kitchen next door, and she does not eat with the other ship personnel.

The food prepared in that small kitchen adjacent to the cabin is always brought out personally by the maidservants inside.

Moreover, two exceptionally handsome and outstanding young nobles occasionally come and go from the cabin.

The sailors catch a fleeting glimpse and secretly speculate, wondering if these are the pretty boys kept by the female merchant.

The cooks secretly envy them, indeed, whether man or woman, wealth brings enjoyment.

Look at those two pretty boys; placed anywhere in Southern Qi, no, in the whole world, you could not find finer men.

Especially that one, whose eyes faintly purple are simply stunning, though his smile carries a hint of wickedness, and he occasionally goes down to the lower deck.

Ordinarily, those matters made the cooks avert their gaze; their cheeks flushed faintly red, they dared not look twice, feeling as if they were beholding a serpent immortal descended from heaven.

At this moment, the two young nobles seemed to have received some news, their eyes turning icy as frost; both walked to the bedside.

No one knows what they are discussing; as servants, we need not concern ourselves with noble affairs—just see to the ship's business, dock at the island, and if we manage to dock at Peach Blossom Island, we'll have made a profit.

At this moment, Gu Jiu Ling leaned slightly against the soft couch, gazing at the dragon and phoenix twins she had borne, swaddled in blankets.

The girl's disposition is serene, even somewhat cold, very much like her appearance.

Yet Gu Jiu Ling never imagined that the boy would be born with a pair of beautiful peach-blossom eyes.

Now, almost a month old, his gaze, from the corners of his eyes to his brows, fully bears Xiao Yin's demeanor.

Only now does she understand a problem: the man with whom she coupled that day was not Tuo Ba Yu at all, but Xiao Yin.

Gu Jiu Ling looks at her son's appearance and expression in her arms, even the dragon-shaped birthmark on his left wrist, identical to the one Xiao Yin bore after completing his mourning, and it should not be a mere miniature copy.

At this moment, Gu Jiu Ling's heart is a tumult of feelings—hate and anger—plus the infant's wailing, leaving her emotions utterly agitated.

Yun Duo and Jiu Yue each held a child, comforting them.

Gu Jiu Ling listened to her son's loud wail and waved at Jiu Yue: "Bring him over, I guess he's hungry again; this kid really can eat."